BRISTOL FLY FISHERMAN WINS MAJOR AWARD

Citing his good humor and outgoing personality, Fulkrod, 28, now has another outstanding accomplishment under his waders for such a young career. He is a guide at Mountain Sports Ltd. in Bristol, where he has been fishing since he was 10 years old. Mountain Sports is a locally owned business that has been in operation since 1981. Fulkrod has already made several notable accomplishments prior to this award including: national recognition as a 2012 Orvis-Endorsed Guide of the Year Finalist, graduate of the Western Rivers Professional Guide School (2006), Orvis-Endorsed Fly-Fishing Guide since 2007, and a Clackacraft Pro Staff Member.

If you’re interested in taking a fly fishing excursion with Fulkrod, stop by Mountain Sports Limited at 1021 Commonwealth Avenue in Bristol, Va.,

DOWNTOWN WINSTON-SALEM GETS ELITE CYCLING CENTER

A vacant 42,000-square-foot building in downtown Winston-Salem is set to become a premier cyclist training center and a leading candidate for an official U.S. Olympic Cycling training center.

The city has been an active hotspot for cycling enthusiasts over the past few years, with the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic drawing national attention and thousands of racers and fans.

Dr. Rick Rauck, chairman of the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic committee, toyed with the idea of a training center in response to area interest in the sport. Steve Johnson, CEO of USA Cycling, came to Winston-Salem for a site visit last November, and has since expressed his support.

While the Winston-Salem Cycling Classic committee is working with both the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Cycling to bring the official Olympic training facility to downtown, the facility will become a cycle training center regardless of official U.S. Olympic use.

J.H. WHITNEY ACQUIRES CONFLUENCE WATERSPORTS

Private equity firm J.H. Whitney has acquired industry mega-weight Confluence Watersports. With this partnership, Confluence says it will continue to be a leading presence in the paddlesports arena. This opportunity will allow the company to reassess and identify new facets for growth into a full-service outdoor recreation company — and with this new mindset in place, the company has opted to be renamed Confluence Outdoor.

The company’s operations and facilities – including manufacturing, design and engineering, research and development, customer service, sales and marketing teams – will remain in its current Greenville, S.C., location. Confluence Outdoor will continue to invest and play an active leadership role in paddlesports and the outdoor recreation industry.